Atalanta

Atalanta is a figure in Greek mythology, known for being the virgin huntress who was loved by the hero Meleager.

History
As a baby, Atalanta was left on a hillside, exposed to the elements, by her father who had desperately wanted a son. Suckled by a bear and then raised by hunters who found her, she grew to become a great hunter, and the fastest foot-racer known, as well as a beautiful woman. In some accounts she served in the crew of the Argo. During the great Calcydonian Boar Hunt, two centaurs tried to assault her, but she killed them both. Her success in the hunt and reconciliation with her royal father made her especially attractive to suitors, but the Oracle had advised her never to marry. She agreed to marry any man that could catch her in a race, believing no such man existed. But a suitor distracted her with gold apples thrown in her path and managed to win the race. After the marriage, the couple let their passions go wild within a temple of Zeus, which angered the great god, and he turned them both into lions.